Momentary Joys...

The vehicle I'm travelling in stop at a traffic signal
In an instant blossom all the street flowers...
With their hands stretched out, eyes shone, hearts open and smiles bearing mystery

A lotus approaches me, tugs at my sleeve, looks me in the eye;
outstretched hand asking for a fee...
I dig in to pull out a coin,
uninterested really in what coin it may be.
our locked gaze make time flee,
Everything around is a blue white haze.

Traffic signal turns red to green,
Life falls back on to the earth,
time gushing in to push aside the wild roses aside,
Loud sirens and honks burning out the silent secrets shared.

The vehicle I am travelling in stop again at the signal,
Lotus, my friend dazzle again, outstretched hand a mechanical gesture,
I know, she knows, coin is an excuse.
Eyes remain fused,
Traffic signal turns from Red to Green
And the FLOWER smiles, turning my world PINK ...

Ppppppppppp....... and many more Ppppppppppp's

A few days ago, late afternoon, at around 4'o clock, I was walking down my street with a friend of mine and he noticed a man pull down his pants and pee right on the main alley in full visibility, My friend stopped dead in his tracks and said "This man is an animal he can't hold on until he gets home, In the US this is inadmissible... I laughed and kept my thoughts to myself...
I am born here in India and for me a scene like that greets me at least thrice a day... He is not born here nor did he live here long enough, aloud I said "NO COMMENTS..." at the same time I was reminded of an incident that shocked me silly.,
I was taking a ride back with a friend of mine working then with GE, he lived for a while in the US ( LOL) , consuming beer early that evening was not easy on his belly and the bumpy roads weren't of much help neither... HE said Dude I have to absolutely take a leak... I looked around to see where he could LEAK, He notices my dilemma and says But I can just turn to the wall and paint it... Thought that was very Funny and laughed but Didn't want to be part of that Indian slapstick comedy scene... Gritt my teeth and held on to the bike and rode back all the way with the thought of the guy not washing his hands after Peeing... Eeaaawww !!! I kept saying Ayyo! in head, and when I got off that evening I was praying to god that he shouldn't offer to shake my hand , Then I have to invite him inside for an acid wash and then maybe shake his hand that had pee drops for 20 minutes long...

I had come back to present where My American friend was telling me some of his Childhood P games :p I was laughing and in exchange I told him what I saw, when I was coming back from the pool... right opposite Secunderabad club... (those of you who know Secunderabad, You'll Know what kind of an area that is, if you don't then its one of those real Richie's locality...) I was in an auto and I saw a car parked and the door of the car open from a certain angle I could see a child's legs and ray of pee... ( LOL I thought the only difference between the have's and have nots is that one can afford cover and the others can't!!!)

In that flow an other P story resurfaced, Dr VENKAT, he is a 85 years young farmer, most part of his life he worked to teach farmers the importance of Organic farming... One Sunday Ashwin, Deva, Brenda, Marcus, Kiki and me went over to his place... amidst coffee and cigarettes each revealed their inner passions and Surprisingly enough LAND ANIMALS PLANTS WATER and HUMANS were the centre of the discussion, Doc Kept calling man Animal and KIKI (the German lady) was getting edgy... well so the real incident that actually flummoxed me was Brenda Announcing "I have to PEE and not in the loo And Doc says sure wherever you want... I really thought that was a JOKE BUT NO They were both not kidding, Brenda went straight in to the land adjacent to the house, and comes back with a glee to thank Dr. venkat for letting her Contribute, Surprisingly no one were shocked that day... and the conversation revolved uniquely on P. Doc explained about the needs of an agricultural LAND and how civilisation is depriving it of its rightful paybacks...

This may sound radical and even disgusting to some of you there... In Japan There are people who are fed and paid to Umm... Unload in winters, and in summers the household takes turns to nourish the land,(A friend of mine told me about it and I was Not sicked out)
In Ladakh there are open lands and a tiny enclosure where you do your job, cover the stuff with mud... So it composts and can be used for farming purposes... as the land needs a composition of ammonia and live minerals that can mix with the earth, easy and quick (That Human Urine/feces consists) In a certain quantity ,
Human beings are the one's who don't recycle... says Green peace Anarchists , where do the sea creatures defecate and pee ?? and Ocean's are the cleanest places ( until human interference)
India is seeing the heights of urbanising only from past 20 years ago... and majority of India is still rural, for them the concept of storing wastage in a place with out recycling it is weird... I was once told by my maid that even really tasty food when stored for long time can stink up the place, I think she is right.

Urbanisation is a threat to the land...

I am not disgusted anymore ... At least unknowingly man is doing some good to the land... and Wondered if I can ever convince my friend and many people out there that its alright to pee outside... Why is it so difficult for us to see someone pee specially when its going in to the land to nourish it ?? Moreover in the most developed countries nudity is not a Taboo but providing the land of its rightful ,minerals is.

Regrettable fact and a Crying shame !!!

Last Friday was like all the other Fridays.,

I was heading off to work, with beatific plans of the week-end lying ahead of me... semi awake and uninterested in looking out at the same view that greets me 5 out of 7days in a week, Me and Pepsi were in a state of amnesia (she comes to work with me... ) when I was jolted out of my delirium, we have reached Hi tech city, Didn't realise how fast we can cover the distance at early hours and that too in the comforts of an air-conditioned cab, driven by a skilled enthusiastic chauffeur. When a dexterous driver steps hard on the car BREAK, one understands what near death experience is. I was surprised to see that at an early hour like that there was a Traffic jam, and began to recount all my frustrations about bad traffic in Hyderabad, and voice them aloud to Narsimha (that's my efficient chauffeur's name... ) he listens for a second and the turns back and says Madame I need to go see whats happening... I say OK.

Narsimha parks the car, silences the engine and Pepsi wants to get out of the enclosure too... I tell myself why not !!! It is good to sometimes expose oneself to the Non-CONDITIONED air...

LOUD noises, Buzz err Krssshhhhh OIE arrreeeyyyy MAKK Eeee Grrrr brought me back from my wonderland, Along came the actuality of stopping the car with lightning break and Narsimha's sudden passing out of the sight... that happened 5 minutes agooo...

Where is Narsimha ??? I look around and spot my Driver, from where I was standing it looked like he was being beaten up ... OH MY GOD WHY IS NARSIMHA being beaten up ???

I put Pepsi in to the car... to run in the direction of the crowd where Narsimha is being beaten up... DAMN IT poor guy, what did he do ??? I was trying to cross the road with my eyes fixed on the crowd... now am Closer... Close enough; to see details, CROWD was made of 4 participants and 1 victim and the rest of 12 to 15 people were audience entertained by the spectacle that was happening there... absolutely unaware that they are big hindrance to the traffic...

DON'T go there Madam, those people are hungry beasts, Lets go back... Says Narsimha... Ooofffffff !!!!!! Relief that its not NARSIMHA being thrashed...

nevertheless it is a man, some man I don't know who is being pound into powder...

who is that man being beaten almost as if they mean to extract juice out of him...

I needed absolutely to go and see, and know why were these very angry mortals testing that other man's mortality ???

I look back and Pepsi is scratching on the window pane with gusto, I sometimes wonder if Pepsi thinks that she can wear things out thin enought to make an escape way by scratching on them for a certain time; comedy in an action film.

I continue ahead with Narsimha following me constantly asking me to not go anywhere close to the crowd. But I needed to know like the way he did 10 minutes ago.

I approach the crowd and look for traces of kindness in these people who were watching, I see smiles that made me want to look for hidden cameras somewhere... May be its all for gags, if not why are these people standing there and watching with a smile.

I ask my neighbour Sir what happened ??? he says " HUM KO KYUN JI" (meaning Its none of our business)

WHAT ???? WHHHHHHATTTTTTTT ???????????? Then why is he standing there and watching the show ??? Like it is his BUSINESS TO WATCH a man being hammered but he doesn't want to know why. VERY WELL. I decided to address the animals directly, I went right in between and said "Please tell me what happened? " even before I could get a response to my question, I was forced out by a very concerned lady (her concern directed towards me) she tells me AMMA please go away, that man deserves all the beating, I ask again Why and she says see amma he drank so much last night he came and fell on the porcelain jars... He was still sleeping right there, shame less man, look two of them broke and 4 cracked. The two that broke are the best pieces and they cost 800/- each and this drunkard man is refusing to pay.

Viola so the reason was out in the open... :(

I don't understand if this was right and if it calls for soo much assault. OK may be the 4 men are frustrated coz their labour is destroyed, what about all these people standing around and watching the TAMASHA ??? There is zero compassion in these people, moreover they are enjoying watching the violence... fellow-feeling just seemed to have died. My heart began to sink I could feel it in my feet, any more of this and It will flow out on to the floor... and carry on in its journey to find a volcano... (what ??? Anyways!!!)

Thinking proactive I ask myself What can stop these people ??? POLICE. yes. I tell them that if they don't stop this nonsense immediately I'll call COPS. They stop and look at me. The man who was thumped was lying right there on the ground, I look at him he must be in his early 30's coming from an auto-rikshaw family back ground... from where could he have given 800*2 to these guys, besides he must have thought its easier to be bashed up than pay such a huge some...

Is 1600 really such a huge sum to these people that they beat another man up with absolutely no remorse... ??? My god I was thinking of all the times I spent that kind of money for a single not soo delicious meals in restaurants and felt soo ashamed. That money means someones life...


That Friday made me so heavy hearted, People watch a fellow being beaten up and don't do anything about it... affected people thrash up coz their loss is too much... and People also prefer to be beaten up than pay that money.

I still don't understand, But in that incomprehension I learnt something, a memorable incident in otherwise uneventful ordinary life... I left from there feeling as beaten up as the man himself, only that my wounds were not physical, under trauma were my belief in humanity and the modern situations that are motivating people to turn violent...

Last Friday was like all the other Fridays except that I began to question if we are the same nation that fought its Independence war "NON VIOLENTLY" ???

Kalamma :D My Goddess.

Every Morning at 6 am dot, bells rings, and when I open the door My maid comes in. House sparkles loud with the pleasure of receiving attention after kalamma leaves.
I thank my lucky stars that I found her who not just cleans my house but also teaches me the importance of being on time, along with diligence and dedication. Breaking all my prejudices. She is the living example that punctuality and assiduousness are not part of the privileged part of the society, but its an innate nature with some miraculous individuals. She teaches me that if I accept to take up a job I should give the job same attention everyday and be as enthusiastic about doing it each day.
Daily chores don't demand much creativity, but they can hinder a clean living, causing one's back to itch subconsciously. I thank Kalamma for cleaning, the mess and doing it everyday with out complaining. I ask myself if I can keep up a cheerful face to go and clean someone else's dirt. NO. I already know the answer. only gods have that ability. KALAMMA is Goddess.

Name : Kala (amma= mother)
Age: 34
Weight : 42 kgs
Height : 4 f 11"
marital status: married for 20 years to an alchoholic auto driver
Previous work Ex : 10 years in the rice fields , 18 years of working as house help.
Interests : likes music, specially telugu film songs, likes to be photographed.
objectives : to send her daughter to Dubai as a NURSE. and get her married to a nice non-alchoholic Lorry driver (:D)
Life moto: Don't trust men, work to fend for yourself